


Twin Suns

by Paffa



Series: Universal Truth [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Bodyswap, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Inspired by Philosophy/ Plato's concept of Soulmates, Mentions of Blood in Chapter 1, Minor Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know (Hinted) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Panic Attacks, Platonic Soulmates, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:49:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26380681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paffa/pseuds/Paffa
Summary: "[…] After the division the two parts of man, each desiring his other half, came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embrace, longing to grow into one, they were on the point of dying from hunger and self-neglect, because they did not like to do anything apart; […].[…] so ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of man. […].”Jisung was struggling more with life than he would like to admit. But when life throws him into a new opportunity, it's not what he or anyone else could have ever predicted. Because on the other side of the city, Felix was facing similar struggles, so fate decides to push them both together to help them grow and overcome their lows in a bizarre way, to say the least.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix
Series: Universal Truth [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917244
Kudos: 18





	1. Jisung

“In the first place, let me treat you of the nature of and what has happened to it; for the original human nature was not like the present, but different. The sexes were not two […], but originally three in number. […], the primeval man was round, his back and sides forming a circle; and he had four hands and four feet, one head with two faces, looking opposite ways […]. Now the sexes were three, and such as I have described them; because the sun, moon and earth are three;-and the man was originally the child of the sun […]. Terrible was their might and strength, and the thoughts of their hearts were great, and they made an attack upon the gods […]. Doubt reigned in the celestial councils. Should they kill them and annihilate the race with thunderbolts […] then there would be an end of the sacrifices and worship which men offered them; but, on the other hand, the gods could not suffer their insolence to be unrestrained.

At last […] Zeus discovered a way. He said: “Methinks I have a plan which will humble their pride and improve their manners; men shall continue to exist, but I will cut them in two and then they will be diminished in strength and increased in numbers; this will have the advantage of making them more profitable to us. They shall walk upright on two legs, and if they continue insolent and will not be quiet, I will split them again […].” […] [mankind] would thus learn a lesson of humility. […] After the division the two parts of man, each desiring his other half, came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embrace, longing to grow into one, they were on the point of dying from hunger and self-neglect, because they did not like to do anything apart; […].

[…] so ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of man. […].”

Jisung put down the notes that Changbin had left laying around and got up from the couch. To him all of what he had just read was nonsense. How Changbin could stand to actually study it, Jisung didn’t understand. He could understand taking courses because of requirement, even if they were a pain in the ass such as his own required science course. But Changbin had taken up the philosophy course voluntarily, as an extra.

“It helps me improve my writing. Not everyone can come up with great lyrics as easily as you, Jisung,” Changbin had once said after being bothered by the boy for a whole day. He had complained about how boring and unrealistic everything in philosophy was.

“Every philosopher makes it seem like their word becomes the next universal truth, you know? It’s just bothering me. I do act on my own volition and not because my brain is predetermining my actions, but thanks very much for your input Libet.” He had told Changbin back then.

“Didn’t know you knew who Libet even was.”

“Well, I did pay attention in class sometimes, Hyung,” he had answered.

And even though Jisung could understand Changbin’s desire for inspiration, writing lyrics about an ancient concept of soulmates? That just sounded useless and stale to him. Inspiration was a fickle thing. Even to Jisung, who despite popular belief did not come up with his ideas effortlessly. Most of the time he was struggling. But nothing ever comes easily in this world.

A shrill sound ripped Jisung out of his thoughts. Looking for where the sound came from, he looked down at his phone only to see the alarm he had set – “Last chance at being on time!”. Right. He was meeting with Seungmin and had promised he’d be at the café at 4pm. Sharp. So, really, he should hurry and get ready.

Getting ready surprisingly didn’t take him long. Which probably was the reason why instead of speeding up a little more, he dawdled away instead. Time management never had been his best virtue anyway. So, it came with no surprise when he was already five minutes late once he sat on the bus. Seungmin wouldn’t mind waiting a little for him though, would he? With that in mind, Jisung pulled out his phone. He contemplated sending Changbin a text, asking where he was and if he would be back at their apartment by the time for dinner. He decided against it. Changbin would let him know at some point anyway. And so, instead, he put on his headphones and pulled up some music on his phone for the ten-minute ride.

As expected, Seungmin was already waiting for him when Jisung arrived. To his delight, Seungmin had also already ordered for both of them. A smile formed on Jisung’s face seeing that. And so, he walked toward where Seungmin was sitting, grateful that he didn’t have to talk to the barista on duty: Hwang Hyunjin.

They didn’t get along well. For unknown reasons. Okay, so maybe Jisung had been a little intimidated by and jealous of the boy. But that had been right after meeting him for the first time, when he had visited the Soul Café for the first time.

Seungmin had told him about it. Saying, that it was one of the nicest cafés he had ever been to. Which basically translates into it being amazing. And so, Jisung had wanted to try it out as well.

The very next day he had gone and visited the café alone. And to be fair, it looked absolutely stunning. Wide windows with chiffon curtains billowing in the summers breeze letting in the bright sunlight, which lit up the whole place naturally. The dark, ebony surfaces contrasted with white, decorative elements seamlessly. Even the light violet accents where flawlessly interwoven with everything else. It felt comfortable and homely.

That serene feeling quickly turned into overwhelming heaviness. And even though the café was wide and open with enough space for everyone, Jisung had felt trapped, unreasonably but strongly. The bustling atmosphere had swamped him completely. And so, he froze in the entrance hindering others from entering and exiting. Only after some loud protesting he had been able to regain his composure for the most part, and while apologizing made his way into the place properly.

Studying the café instead of the menu while waiting in line meant that he wasn’t able to answer the employee’s question as to what he would want immediately. Instead he was startled out of his observing and hastily turned to try and read what was written on the board hanging on the wall behind the counter. He seemingly had taken too long for the working barista that day, seeing how he had spoken up, sounding annoyed. “You’re taking a little long there, shorty.”

Once again, Jisung had been startled and hurriedly looked away from the board and instead at the boy in front of him. And just like that he came face to face with the then still unknown Hwang Hyunjin. Despite what he later would deny with all his might, Jisung did stop and stare. A fact, that apparently had been gapingly obvious to Hyunjin.

“You see, normally I would tell you to stare all you want but right now really isn’t the time. We are in a rush right now, so I’d appreciate it if you could hurry up and order something.” He had said, a small smirk forming on his lips. Those damn lips. Again, Jisung couldn’t help himself and continued staring. This time at Hyunjin’s mouth. That was why he could see the smirk turning into a scowl the very second it happened, and Hyunjin’s patience running out. Entirely annoyed at that point, he had told Jisung to “Hurry up!” and “Come to a decision or leave”. So, in the end, Jisung had settled for his go-to, “Americano. Iced. Please.” and left.

It had been a shock to find out that Hyunjin and Seungmin were well acquainted with each other and had quickly turned into close friends. Therefore, it was nearly impossible to avoid coming to Soul Café again. In the end, Jisung had settled for glaring at Hyunjin whenever he entered the café or caught him looking his way. Hyunjin had caught up on that fairly quickly, and thus returned the gesture, completing their mutual dislike of one another.

So, Jisung was glad that Seungmin had already ordered for him as well.

“You are late.”

“I know, I know. But listen! It wasn’t even my fault. You know how Hyung keeps letting his things laying around everywhere around the whole apartment? Well, I found part of his notes for his philosophy course in our living room. Which is how I got distracted. I swear I was up at a reasonable time today! It’s not my fault I get distracted easily, now, is it?”

Seungmin just rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, probably knowing he would continue his rant.

“By the way, I’m not even that late. Only by, like, ten minutes or so. Which also – not my fault entirely. The bus was late. And took forever. Traffic, you know?” Jisung said while reaching for the fork to start eating his cake. Cheesecake, to be exact. Damn, Seungmin really did know him well. “Surely, you aren’t mad at me, right? Minnie?”

Letting out a sigh, Seungmin sat up straight again and reached for his coffee.

“Actually, no I am not mad. Honestly, I didn’t expect anything else from you anyway. You’re always late.”

“Hey, that’s not fair! Not always.” Jisung trailed off and took another bite to munch on. For all the flaws Soul Café may had– Hyunjin – their cake was amazing.

Seungmin faintly shook his head at that again but a smile was forming on his face anyway. They wouldn’t be friends if he would get mad at having to wait for Jisung every once in a while.

“And you say, Hyunjin has bad manners. Just so that you know, it was Hyunjin who kept me company while I had to wait for you.”

Jisung stopped chewing at that. “Come on, low blow. Every time I hear that name, I am reminded of what happened. Which, by the way, I am trying to forget. But you just keep mentioning him. Doesn’t make it easier for me, Minnie. Also, doesn’t he have to work? Very irresponsible of him to hang with you, if you ask me.”

Seungmin let out a laugh at that. “I didn’t ask you though. Hyunjin was on a break, Sungie. So, he had the time to come over and talk to me while I was sitting here. Alone. Waiting for you, might I add. Seriously, why can’t you two just get over yourselves and forget what happened. He was stressed out and you were gay panicking. It’s really not that deep.”

Jisung could feel himself turn red at Seungmin’s words. Not because he felt embarrassed by how spot on his friend was being, but purely out of anger, of course. “I wasn’t gay panicking! Oh my- is that what he thinks happened? That’s not it! Seungmin! I was just overwhelmed! With everything that day! Come on.”

“You really need to learn how to use your indoor voice more often, Jisung. I bet the whole café now knows what a terrible liar you are.” Seungmin told him, trying to contain his laughter.

Jisung in turn, turned around to see if what Seungmin was saying was the truth. He found at least three people looking over towards their table – Hyunjin included, barely containing a smug look.

“Bury me now, and tell my parents I love them. Minho-hyung gets my music collection, just to spite Changbin,” he said while letting his head fall onto the table and burying it underneath his arms. Seungmin patted him on the part of his head that was still visible before pulling his hand back and drinking his coffee in silence.

They stayed like this for the next few minutes. And if Jisung counted under his breath to make sure that 159 seconds had passed, just to be sure that everyone had stopped looking at them, nobody needed to know. Removing his head from underneath his arms he looked towards Seungmin again, who was already looking back at him expectantly. “You done now? Or is there anything else to be dramatic over?”

“Stop laughing and I will stop being dramatic.”

“Deal. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something. In case me asking you here wasn’t already clue enough.”

Picking up the fork again to continue eating his cake, he signaled Seungmin to go on.

“Well, I already told you about this weird project for my ‘Understanding of Vocals in Music’ course, right? Seems like I need more background vocals for harmonizing and -“ he paused and looked at Jisung’s face, which probably looked way too expectant and smug, seeing how Seungmin smirked before continuing after a quiet snort, “- and I thought maybe you would know someone who could fill in, you know? With your major and all.”

Jisung’s face fell a little at his words. Before regaining his confidence and pointing at himself.

“Me, obviously. Minnie, come on. We’re friends for how long, now? Two years? Three? I am the obvious choice here.”

When Seungmin kept his face entirely blank and neutral at his suggestion, Jisung grew a little anxious. Sure, they had been friends since both had started university together, but maybe Seungmin really just wanted to know if he knew anyone with actual experience and more vocal training. His uncertainty must have shown on his face, because Seungmin cracked and began to chuckle lightly before nodding his head.

“Yeah, I know. I was just teasing. Of course, I wanted to ask you. Not to boost your ego or anything, but I really love your voice. Your singing voice, that is of course. Not you screaming murder into my ear at 3am. So, you up for it?”

“Yes! Definitely. Man, Seungmin, I was actually starting to get worried there for a second. Don’t play me like that,” Jisung said, relieved to not have misinterpreted the situation. “When did you want to get started? Today?”

“No, don’t worry. I just wanted to ask in advance in case you wouldn’t be able to help me out. In a week or two maybe? If you can find time in your schedule, that is. I know how packed it can be sometimes. You’re doing alright at the moment though, right? Not too much work?”

Before Seungmin could get too worried, Jisung shook his head. “Hey, man, don’t look at me like that. I am doing fine. Nothing to worry about, Minnie. So, don’t even think about taking back your offer. I would just crash your recording sessions anyway now. You doing okay too? Haven’t really heard much of you before your text. For like at least three days.” Jisung pointed out.

Before answering, Seungmin took another sip of his coffee. His eyes shifted away from Jisung and towards the window then back to him. Jisung noticed that of course. “Oh? So, there is something then? What is it? Tell me!”

In his enthusiasm Jisung completely forgot he himself had set down his coffee cup just a little bit too close near the edge of the table. So, when he leaned forward, he knocked it from the table making it burst and spill everything on the floor.

Seungmin flinched at the noise and if it weren’t for him panicking slightly, Jisung might have thought that that would have been funny. As it was though, he didn’t even pay much attention to it in his freaked state.

To make things worse, Hyunjin came over to help them clean up. Or at least that’s what he should have been doing, in Jisung’s opinion. Despite that and fueling Jisung’s belief that he was a mannerless prick, Hyunjin completely ignored him and walked around the table to talk to Seungmin instead. He only dropped a dish towel on his way for Jisung to catch. Well, at least he didn’t throw it into his face, Jisung supposed.

“OH my- Seungminnie! Are you okay? You’re not hurt or anything, right? The coffee must have still been hot.”

Jisung was completely frozen, looking at what was happening right in front of him and completely forgetting the puddle of coffee near his shoes. Looking at Seungmin, he noticed how flustered the other boy actually was.

“Ah, yeah- I mean, no! No, I wasn’t hurt. Don’t worry. Jisung tends to be a little clumsy at times,” he laughed awkwardly. “But really, nothing happened. Or, I mean, not nothing. Sorry about the cup.” Seungmin himself cringed at his own words and probably would have rambled on, if he also would have had trouble with his brain-to-mouth filter, like Jisung sometimes had.

“Never mind the cup, Seungminnie. Really, it’s fine. I’m just glad nobody got hurt.” Hyunjin smiled at Seungmin. Actually smiled. He wasn’t annoyed, even after some of his – or rather his bosses’ – property got smashed into pieces. Speaking of-

Jisung forced himself to look away and focused on the spilled coffee instead. He got down from his chair and started to clean the mess on the floor, careful of the shards the cup had sprung into.

“I mean, some of us just have to be more careful the next time. But other than that, nothing big happened.”

And just like that, the last hope of getting away with it without Hyunjin acknowledging him shattered as well. But really, couldn’t he have waited until after Jisung was done cleaning? It was entirely more humiliating to get scolded while crouching down on the floor. And with Jisung’s limited temper regarding the other boy it really came with no surprise that he completely forgot to be cautious.

“Listen here you little- ahh! Fucking hell! See what you did now! I cut myself!”

And really, he made it seem like a bigger deal than it actually was. Hyunjin also saw that. So, he only rolled his eyes and walked away without acknowledging Jisung further. On the other side of the table, Seungmin got up at his screams and crouched down next to Jisung to help him.

“Show me. Alright, so it’s just a small and very shallow cut. No need to be so loud about it. Still, please be more careful next time you pick up shards of glass or ceramic or anything sharp,” Seungmin said after taking Jisung’s injured hand into his own to inspect it.

A few tissues were almost shoved into Jisung’s face, announcing Hyunjin’s return. “Will this do, or do you need to clean it thoroughly?”

Jisung looked up and into his face before taking the tissues and the offered band-aid while mumbling out a “Thank you”. Hyunjin probably didn’t expect to be thanked, seeing how he looked slightly taken aback before recovering and willing his face back into nonchalance.

“Don’t look so surprised. I told you both that neither of you is a bad person,” Seungmin said after watching their exchange. “Also, let me do that for you, Sungie. Knowing you, you will just make it worse somehow.”

Giving up, trying to wipe away the little bit of blood while simultaneously trying to put on the band-aid all with only one hand, Jisung gave Seungmin everything instead. “Thanks,” he whispered, so only Seungmin would hear, making the other boy smile at him fondly.

From above them came an awkwardly stilted cough which made them both look up at Hyunjin again. “When you are done, I would like to take those broken pieces and throw them away before anyone else gets hurt.”

“Ah, yeah, sure. Sorry to be such a burden today.”

“Seungminnie, no! Don’t worry! Really, you aren’t a burden at all,” Hyunjin said, a gentle smile forming on his face. “You still have to pay for it though.”

Seungmin laughed lightly at that. “Of course.”

Jisung, feeling like the fifth wheel for the second time in probably less than ten minutes, reached for his phone to check if he had gotten any messages and let those two continue their – whatever was going on there.

From: Pigunny Hyung

hey

am at minhos atm

want to come over for dinner?

hyung said he would cook

To: Pigunny Hyung

Sure!

Tell Hyung hi from me~

Gonna come over after my meeting with Seungmin!

Clicking out of his chat with Changbin, he went to open the one he had with Minho.

To: Meow Hyung

Thx for inviting me!

(ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Better cook enough for us all tho!

Jisung wasn’t expecting Minho to text him back so soon or at all, so he was surprised when his phone began vibrating in his hand.

From: Meow Hyung

I didn’t invite you

Changbin did

That was one time

Stop holding it over me!

To: Meow Hyung

Doesn’t matter who did anyway

I will still come!

┐(︶▽︶)┌

Never!

I went home hungry Hyung!

Hungry!

From: Meow Hyung

Whatever

Don’t be late then

Smiling, Jisung put his phone into his pocket and turned to see if Seungmin and Hyunjin were done, so that he could tell his friend that he would have to leave soon. To his surprise, both were already looking at him, Hyunjin with a raised eyebrow and Seungmin with a subsided smirk.

“Sorry, did you say something?” Jisung asked, only for Hyunjin to shake his head and turn around without replying. He went back to the counter to welcome new costumers after smiling at Seungmin one more time. So, Jisung looked at his friend for an explanation.

“Nevermind. I take it, you will have to leave now?”

“Actually, yeah. How’d you know?” Jisung asked but knowing that Seungmin probably won’t answer him, he simply continued, “You know what? Don’t answer that. But, yeah, actually if I don’t wanna be late, I probably should leave in the next five minutes.”

“Because you wouldn’t dare be late. Ever.” Seungmin let out an amused snort. “But sure, go ahead. I already paid anyway, so don’t worry about that.”

“Wait! You paid for us both? Damn, sorry. I will pay next time then, okay?”

After accepting the offer, Seungmin reached for his jacket and put it on. Jisung followed suit and soon they were on their way out again. When they walked past the counter, Jisung even acknowledged Hyunjin’s chipper “Goodbye! See you next time!” with a nod while Seungmin waved back at the other boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, first of all: For anyone who might actually read this, thank you. I do hope it was and will be enjoyable for people to read. <3  
> Secondly: As English is not my first language there probably will be mistakes in that, and I'd like to apologize in advance.  
> And lastly: Happy Birthday Han Jisung! This project - this story has been sitting in the making since months now, but I thought it would be reasonable and nice to post at least this first 'Chapter' today, in celebration I suppose.  
> Seeing how I have to revise some parts of this story, I don't know for sure if there will be any upload schedule that I can keep, but I will try my best.  
> And if there is anyone who might read it, feel free to leave feedback or anything else you want to say. This actually is my first work in any fandom and it's definitely nerve-wracking to say the least ..・ヾ(。＞＜)シ  
> Well, that's it for now... bye~


	2. Felix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Info: Everything in _italics_ is them talking in English. So, Felix mostly talks in English; whereas Chan switches in languages~  
> (they are still in Korea tho (≧▽≦)/ )

“How long have you been here?”

_“Jeesh mate, come on! Don’t creep up on me like that!”_ , Felix said from where he was seated on the floor of the dance studio. He completely forgot about time while he had been practicing. But Chris being here now meant it probably was long after midnight. So, he missed the deadline for his new video. Again. Great. Even if it was his own channel, he still wanted to follow his upload plan. Mondays and Thursdays: Gaming; Saturdays: new dance video and if possible, every other Friday a new Vlog. But really all the practice lately had completely messed with that. Still, practice was necessary if he wanted to actually continue pursuing a career in dance. Which, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t so sure about at the moment.

“You didn’t answer my question. _So, how long?”_ Chris said while sitting down next to Felix and handing him a bottle of water. Felix looked up at the clock hanging above the exit. 1:29am. Well damnit.

_“Might have been here since lunch. Can’t really remember the exact time though.”_ Felix sheepishly admitted. He expected Chris to go on a rant about taking care of his health and taking breaks and so on. He got a disappointed look and a sigh. Which was even worse if Felix was being honest.

_“Look, I didn’t mean to. Really not. I just- there is this project some of the dancers have been working on and I still have some trouble with some parts of the choreo. I’ll go home soon though, okay? I promise.”_

“I’ll stay and bring you home then.”

Felix let out a quiet laugh at that before getting up. He returned to Chris’ side after collecting all his things from the bench where he left it hours ago and said, _“You know what? Let’s just leave now then. I know you don’t get enough sleep as well. And I will not keep you up any longer. Come on. Bring me home.”_

Chris got up and smiled at him before motioning for him to follow while walking out. They got onto the next subway and sat down. Most seats were empty. There were just two other people inside who looked asleep anyway, so they didn’t pay them much attention.

_“I take it you just came from your studio as well then?”_

Chris nodded to answer his question _._ “Yeah, have been trying to finish up something. _But it’s not working the way I want it to yet. Which is a bummer. Then I saw your Instagram story on my break. Y’know in between crying over the track and actually working on it and wanted to check up on you.”_

Ahh. That damn story then. Really it was just meant to tease the new video. Which was meant to come out today. Or rather yesterday.

_“I see. Was wondering how you could have known I was at the studio. Guess that explains it then. Sorry for the detour.”_

Chris shook his head at that _. “Don’t be_. I probably wouldn’t have taken a break without that anyway.”

This made Felix feel better about the whole situation. Sure, both of them were kind of stuck in their own projects. But it was nice to know that Chris got a break through him, knowing how hard he worked every day. Also, he was sure his friend would get over the slump soon enough. Especially with some more rest.

They got off at the next station and walked up the stairs leading into the streets. Even if it was in the middle of the night the city was blinding. Lit up from all the artificial light coming from the LED displays.

Soon they reached their destination namely Felix’s apartment building _. “Thanks for bringing me home. Want to crash here tonight? You look tired mate. And you live kind of far from here.”_

Chris looked like he was considering it for a moment until he seemed to remember something _. “I probably would have but I have a meeting tomorrow at like- around noon? Noonish? Heading home would be better. Also, it’s not even that far away, so don’t worry. I’ll text when I get there, okay?”_

When they hugged goodbye Felix whispered a _“Thank you”_ into Chris’ shoulder, who simply ruffled his hair and smiled at him. _“Always. Also, don’t worry so much about everything, okay? You’ll figure it out soon enough.”_ Felix nodded at this and let himself into the building.

Walking upstairs he realized he did feel better already. Chris really does have that effect on him. Probably on everyone who knew him. He soon arrived at the third floor and opened his door to let himself in. Felix went straight into the bathroom to take a shower. Letting the remains of his worries be washed away. He always felt better after showering and was glad to find that today wasn’t any different.

Not wanting to fall asleep before getting the promised text from Chris, he went to open his laptop after getting dressed. Maybe he could still squeeze in some editing and upload the video early tomorrow.

Just as he was about to open the editing program his phone chimed.

From: Dad

_Just got home so you can go to sleep now!_

_Goodnight!_

To: Dad

_You too!_

So, editing would have to wait then. Felix wondered if he had taken his extra-long shower without noticing and got up after closing his laptop. Falling asleep came really easy that night. Whether it was because he felt more at ease after talking to Chris or because of the power practice, he didn’t know. Felix was just glad he was able to sleep now after this whole day. Tomorrow was going to be another hell of a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Felix! Yesterday was Jisung and today is Felix~  
> It's definitely shorter than the first one but it felt better to cut it here... Still, hope it was enjoyable~  
> As for the following chapters, I don't know when I will be able to edit them, but I hope I can do that sooner rather than later.  
> Anyhow, thanks to anyone who might even read this and if you find the time support the Comeback (Back Door is amazing and so is the whole album!) please do so (o^▽^o)


	3. Jisung

From: Pigunny Hyung

door is open

just come in

Jisung had just arrived at Minho’s apartment complex when he got the text from Changbin. He got in and took the stairs up. Something Changbin should be proud of, seeing how the older boy had told Jisung to take the stairs more often and to not depend on the elevator as much. Apparently taking stairs still didn’t replace actual workout though. Small steps.

Arriving at the second floor, he walked down the small hallway until he came face to face with Minho’s door and opened it. Almost immediately he was assaulted by noise. Which was to be expected with Changbin nearby anyway. Jisung closed the door behind him and took his shoes off.

As he entered the living room, he was greeted by the sight of Changbin on the sofa playing on his phone. The older boy had become very invested in the mobile version of PUBG in the previous week. Jisung didn’t know why he suddenly showed so much interest but wasn’t actually about to ask him. Changbin most likely wouldn’t even give him a satisfactory answer anyway.

Minho, though, was nowhere to be seen. He probably was in the kitchen, already preparing their dinner. 

“Hello to you too. Hope you lose for being so rude, dude.”

Changbin didn’t even look up at that. Jisung wasn’t even sure if he had heard him. It wasn’t very likely though, seeing how Changbin didn’t react to being called ‘dude’ instead of ‘Hyung’.

And so, Jisung made his way through the living room – leaving Changbin alone for the time being – and walked over to the adjacent kitchen. As he was coming closer, he knew for sure that Minho was in there. The smell of food was overwhelming.

“Oh wow! Hyung! It smells like heaven in here!”

If Minho was startled by his sudden entry, he didn’t show it. He simply continued cooking. Seeing Minho slice up some cooked chicken, made Jisung step closer to the stove to see what was in the pot on top of it.

“So, chicken and spaghetti! Damn, thank you so much for inviting me to eat today.”

At this Minho let out what sounded like a suppressed chuckle. Not turning away from cutting the chicken he said, ”Actually, I did not invite you, Changbin did. Also, it’s fettuccine not spaghetti.”

Jisung looked up from the pot and towards Minho hearing that. Seeing as he had a knife in his hand though Jisung didn’t go through with his plan to bump into him jokingly. Too dangerous, for both of them. Instead he simply let out a laugh and shook his head.

“It’s all pasta anyway no matter the fancy name, Hyung. Can I help you out though? Because I don’t think Changbin will be of any help anytime soon. Did you know that he didn’t even notice me come in? Like, how is that even possible? I even greeted him!”

Without actually waiting for an answer Jisung went over to get the plates out of the cabinet next to Minho. But because the elder boy was indeed a tad bit taller than he was, he had to get up on his tiptoes to reach them probably.

“Sure, knock yourself out. And you know how he can’t multitask, like at all. He needs to focus on the game, so he doesn’t die instantly. Don’t take it to heart.”

Jisung let out a snort at that. Because, really, Minho was right. He was most of the time, come to think of it. Probably comes with being an actual functioning adult.

“Where’d you want to eat? Kitchen or living room?”

Being done with the chicken, Minho dropped the knife in the sink and peaked into the pot to see if the noodles were done. Deeming them done enough he took them of the stove and poured out the boiling water while answering Jisung’s question.

“Let’s stay in the kitchen. No need to disturb dear Changbinnie. He’ll come in when he’s done anyway.”

Nodding his head at that, Jisung began to set down the plates on the small kitchen table next to the door before getting some cutlery for the three of them. Just as he was about to get the glasses out as well, there was a frustrated shout coming from the living room.

“Seems like he will come in faster than expected,” noted Minho with a smirk while looking back at Jisung over his shoulder. Jisung started laughing. Right then, Changbin walked in through the open kitchen door.

“Oh, hey Jisung. Didn’t notice you come in. You been here for long?”

“I even greeted you Hyung! You are so mean!”

Jisung tried to sound offended but couldn’t help it and kept laughing. Minho and he were definitely right about Changbin then. Minho also was laughing at this point, and Changbin looked slightly lost before accepting the laughter and sitting down at the table.

“Glad you two are having so much fun together. No need to let me in on it.”

Minho just turned around to finish dinner not even acknowledging him.

After getting the glasses Jisung sat down next to Changbin. “Stop pouting, hyung. It’s just funny how you can’t really focus on two things at the same time sometimes. Even if I get ignored because of that.”

Changbin sighed at that but started smiling anyway. “Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, how was meeting with Seungmin? Hope you didn’t cause any trouble at the café today. That boy really doesn’t deserve the stress from dealing with your dramatic ass.”

Jisung almost felt insulted by that. Then he remembered the time he almost threw his hot coffee after Hyunjin, simply because he had been too chipper at seven on a Monday morning, while Seungmin had to hold him back and nearly got hit in the process. So really, Changbin’s comment wasn’t really that unreasonable.

“Actually, it went well-ish? I mean I did break one of their cups – But only on accident! So that doesn’t count. And I did indeed act civil with that barista today – as civil as one can act with literal Satan’s spawn there.”

This caused two very different reactions. While Changbin just looked done with him, Minho started laughing again. “Jisungie you are an absolute mess. Also, dinner is ready, so get yourself some food before continuing to tell us about your day.”

Both boys got up from the table and took their – and in Jisung’s case Minho’s as well - plates with them. While eating Jisung continued, “Well, as I was saying, it really did go well. At least the part with Seungmin. You will never guess why he asked me out today!”

At that, Minho raised one of his eyebrows before simply continuing to eat. Changbin at the other hand was visibly more surprised. “You should really reconsider your wording there, man. Unless he actually asked you out. Which – not going to lie – would be surprising.”

Jisung just rolled his eyes before starting to talk again. “You both know what I meant by that. It’s a figure of speech! But moving on. He asked me to do some background vocals for him.” He smiled while looking at his friends to take in their reaction.

Fortunately, they both mirrored his smile.

“And I mean I haven’t done something like that yet. But it sounds so cool. I am really glad Seungmin thought of me, you know? He knows so many amazing singers and he still asked me.”

While Jisung continued talking, he looked down at his food again. He started to feel a little self-conscious. What if he couldn’t reach Seungmin’s expectations? Maybe he would just end up disappointing his friend.

Before Jisung’s thoughts started to spiral downwards, Changbin cleared his throat.

“Hey, Jisungie. Don’t worry so much. You will do amazing! Remember how I told you that I showed some of your stuff to one of my friends? The one who owns his own studio? Even he said you had an outstanding voice! So really you have nothing to worry about here.”

As Changbin was talking Jisung looked up again.

“Changbin is right. Plus, I don’t think Seungmin would have asked you without being one-hundred percent sure that you will do great. Even I know he actually thinks about things before doing them, and I don’t even know him that well.”

That prompted Jisung to shift his eyes from Changbin to Minho, who was right. Again.

“Thank you. Both. I mean, I know all that. It’s just sometimes hard to believe it. But that’s why I have you both! My emotional support Hyungs!”

“And he’s back,” Changbin said with a smile.

“Let’s finish eating before deciding who gets to wash up,” Minho added and started eating again. The other two followed suit and soon all of them were finished. Changbin was the first to stand up and make his way towards the kitchen door.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Startled by Minho’s sudden exclamation, Changbin turned around again. Both Minho and Jisung were looking at him with deadpan expressions. “To the living room? I thought we could watch a movie together maybe. I mean it’s still early and none of us have to get up early tomorrow anyway.”

“Nope. No can do. Sorry. You, my friend, are going to clean up while Jisung and I go and set up the movie. My pick, obviously.”

Without listening to any of the complaints coming from Changbin, both boys got up and left the kitchen barely containing their smiles. It was only fair for Changbin to clean up anyway.

“Hyung, let’s watch a horror movie! I read about a new one I wanted to try out anyway. Can we?”

Without saying anything else, Minho gave Jisung the remote control and sat down on the sofa, still leaving enough space for Jisung to settle in beside him. Which he almost immediately did. Before he could get comfortable though, Minho got up again to retrieve the blanket from the armchair. Once he sat down again, Jisung cuddled up to him and he spread the blanket above them both. Jisung turned the TV on, opened the Netflix and after a quick search, he found the movie and clicked on it, just to pause it again to wait for Changbin.

Shortly after, Changbin walked in as well. He had barely taken one step inside when Minho spoke up. “Could you turn off the lights please? And then come here. We don’t have all night.”

With a sigh Changbin did just that before he himself settled down in the armchair next to them.

“I still wonder how you two are so comfortable with each other now. I mean, you’ve known the other for what? Two months now? And yet here you are: all cozied up under the only blanket, while I have to freeze over here all by myself even though I have known both of you way longer.”

“You done complaining, hyung? Because I would really love to actually start watching this movie today.”

But instead of focusing on the movie Jisung also started to wonder about his and Minho’s relationship. One definitely would not have expected them to be this close, especially considering the first time they had met.


	4. Jisung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sort of an intermission in the usual flow of this story, since it's a flashback following Jisung reminiscing at the end of the last chapter~

The first time Jisung met Minho could have gone much better. But to be fair, he had had a horrible day already at that time. It had all started with him not hearing his alarm that morning. So obviously he had to rush through brushing his teeth, not being able to actually shower and having to shove his messy, slightly greasy bed-hair into one of his beanies, while searching for adequate clothes to wear to class. By the time he was done with all that and had shoved his feet into the next best shoes he could find – Changbin’s slippers of course – he had been way too late already. Which might have been fine with almost all of his professors but definitely not with Mister Kim, the one lecturer who actually held a grudge against him. So, definitely off to a great start.

When he had arrived thirty minutes too late, he of course got reprimanded in front of everyone, making him feel even worse. No wonder he hadn’t been able to completely follow the whole lesson, which did not help to improve his mood at all.

After classes were officially over for the day, Jisung had been exhausted. So, when Changbin had asked him to meet for coffee, he immediately said yes, not realizing he would end up at Soul Café again. He had only noticed once he stood in front of the entrance and saw that of course Hwang Hyunjin was standing behind the counter. Sighing, he had opened the door just as his phone notified him of a new message.

From: Pigunny Hyung

sry cant make it

forgot I had to meet one of my mentors

will make it up to u

So, what does one do in a situation like this then? Leave after just opening the door? Or walk up to the counter facing your worst enemy and simply order the much-needed coffee? Normal people would probably just go and order before leaving. Jisung though stood in the door for about twenty more seconds debating with himself and blocking the entrance for everyone else.

Once he had noticed what exactly he was doing, Jisung stuttered out some apologies while blushing and made to leave again. Before he actually made it outside though, he crashed into the person entering the café.

Both he and the other person started to stumble and held onto each other to not actually fall.

“Oh my- I am So sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Jisung looked up to the stranger and noticed that the person was a boy probably around his age. He was taller than Jisung though and smiled understandingly.

“Don’t worry. Nothing even happened!”

Feeling a little reassured by that Jisung smiled politely at him and was just about to leave, when he heard one of the most annoying voices he knew. “Jeongin-ah! Oh no. Are you okay? Did Jisung over there hurt you?”

Great. So, this nice stranger was friends with Hyunjin. Whatever positive energy had been starting to channel into Jisung’s day was quickly leaving again. Not having the patience to deal with that, he simply thanked the boy for being so nice about everything and left.

The only thing he had wanted to do right then and there was sleep until the day was over. And so he made his way home. Halfway there he got a call from Changbin. It took every ounce of energy still left in his body to accept the call and hold his phone to his ear.

“Jisungie? Hey. I am so sorry for forgetting the meeting. Really. You doing okay? You didn’t sound great over the texts earlier.”

Continuing to walk towards their shared apartment, Jisung let out a groan. “Actually, not really. Worst day ever. Gotta tell you tomorrow though. I just really wanna go sleep now.”

At that Changbin seemed to hesitate. Even over the phone Jisung noticed the prolonged pause. His friend normally didn’t take that long to say something. “What is it? Why were you calling? Please don’t tell me you need me to go shop for groceries or something, Hyung. It was your turn this week.”

“That’s not it. Just- okay, listen. I am still stuck at this meeting. And I forgot to get my notes for tomorrow from Minho-hyung. I left them there yesterday, remember? But I won’t be able to leave soon and I don’t want to keep Hyung up too long since he has work tomorrow. So, could you maybe go over there and get them for me? I swear I will make it up to you!”

Not processing everything Changbin was spitting out immediately, Jisung just went completely silent.

“Jisungie? Hello? I am sorry, man. Really but I need those notes. Help me out here?”

At that he stopped in his tracks and sighed out loud. Again. The day kept on getting worse.

“Send me the address. I just hope it’s not far from where I am right now, or else-“

“Thank you! See you later at home!”, with that the older hung up. A second later he messaged Jisung an address thirty minutes away from where he currently was standing. Accepting the fact that he wouldn’t be able to go to bed anytime soon, Jisung made his way over to the next subway station.

Arriving at the unknown apartment complex, Jisung realized he didn’t know a whole lot about Minho. Not what he looked like or his room number. Not even his last name. How exactly should he retrieve something from someone he didn’t know how to contact?

“What the fuck kinda day is this? Now I have to play errand boy for Changbin-hyung and get his fucking notes from some asshole who couldn’t be bothered to drop them off at ours? Just because he has to ‘work early’? So what? We all fucking do!”

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Jisung turned around just to be met with a boy his age wearing a grey hoodie and fitting sweatpants. Not brave enough to actually look up into the boy’s face, Jisung had simply closed his eyes hoping that that would make the whole situation less real.

“You’re Jisung then?” He had heard the boy ask coldly. Well, that’s what he deserved, Jisung guessed. Just his luck that Minho would come out right when he began ranting. Still not looking up he had nodded his head.

“Not what I expected from what Changbin told me ‘bout you.”

Hearing that Jisung had finally looked up and hadn’t been able to suppress the sharp intake of air. Really when he thought Hyunjin was pretty before, Minho was absolutely gorgeous. Even like this – in the fluorescent light of the streetlamp nearby, in all grey casual wear and with his hair flatly laying on top of his head – he was freaking beautiful, obviously without even trying.

In contrast to that Jisung looked like a rat that had been dragged through a puddle by a cat right before being abandoned and left laying in the dirty streets. Great.

All of that went through his head in split a second before remembering how most pretty people were arrogant asshats, for example: Hyunjin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jisung had asked, the blush that had formed on his cheeks turning darker in anger. Minho had seemed a little taken back by his attitude but collected himself rather fast again. Shrugging his shoulders and stretching out his hand with Changbin’s notes in it, he had simply said, “Exactly what I said. Now please take Changbin’s stuff. I really have to get up early tomorrow. Contrary to some others.”

Just as Jisung had predicted then. Pretty people all had a bad attitude. Without saying another word Jisung had taken the papers from Minho and turned around but not without giving him his most annoyed glare he had been able to muster at that time.

Later when Changbin found out about the situation, he had laughed at both of them before telling them to get over themselves and to meet properly. And really that probably was the best thing Changbin had ever done. At least in Jisung’s opinion, seeing how after all the awkwardness and prejudices as well as Minho and him actually trying to get to know each other, they had hit it off better than anyone could have predicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is dedicated to my beta-reader, you know who you are~~  
> Because fun fact: I was about to take this chapter out, since I thought it didn't fit in well enough anymore after reviewing and deciding to change the general focus of this story.  
> But they told me not to, so here it is anyway~


	5. Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst is a little upped in this chapter. Nothing too bad but still, it's getting a little sad and (too) real-  
> Also once more: Everything in _italics_ is them talking in English. So, Felix mostly talks in English; whereas Chan switches in languages~

The next morning Felix woke up way too early and sore from last day’s endless training. All that relief he had felt after the talk with Chris and his shower had disappeared over the night. On the contrary, the sleep that was supposed to help him relax had been filled with bad dreams and anxiety. He really couldn’t take a break, could he?

After checking the time – 6am on a Sunday – he let out a groan before getting up anyway. Without anything else to do he went to take another shower to wake himself up quicker. The shower did help him slightly, so he ended up walking into his kitchen to see if he could find anything to eat. Which wasn’t very likely. Last time he actually went groceries shopping was two weeks ago. Having an unstable income and no time to spare because of practice and filming really wasn’t going well for him at the moment it seemed.

So, he wasn’t surprised to see that he only owned an one week old apple and some cereal without any milk to eat it with. Great. Breakfast was a skip today then. Dejected, Felix made his way back into his bedroom, just to sit down in front of his computer. Might as well start and finish the editing as to not delay the video any longer than it already was. He might as well put up a tweet to explain why the video hadn’t been uploaded the previous day. Add in another Instagram story along with that and he could start working.

_“Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay! I know I promised y’all a video yesterday. But I had some work to do for my dancing which took way longer than expected. But! I am going to edit right now, so it will be uploaded today! Sorry again for the confusion! Everyone have a great day and see you later!”_

Putting on his sunshine persona for that short clip was exhausting as hell. But it definitely was easier than to explain the struggle of coming to another country to fulfill his dream as a dancer only to battle with exactly that. Well, might as well be an idea for a new vlog though.

Editing took longer than expected. By the time Felix was done and the video was uploaded it was already past noon. So, no lunch as well then today. That was still fine. He could call Chris later to eat together. Probably. Or get something on his way to the dance studio. First though, he still had to record for Monday’s video.

He got up from his chair to do some stretching and got himself some water to drink at least. Recording would most likely take him another 40 minutes if he wanted to have some good material. In the end he spent around a whole hour recording PUBG. Which was longer than he normally took on a good day. Still, it did help relieve some of the stress that had been building up these past few days.

After editing for another hour and half he was done for the day on that front. Which was a huge relief. He might love that he was able to earn his money with gaming and showing off his dancing, but really it was more work than fun some days. All that didn’t matter now though since he still had dance practice left. He had booked the practice room from 5pm onwards, so he still had a little time left. Felix decided to go jogging to the practice building instead of taking the subway seeing how all he had done that day was sit in front of his computer. Kind of counterproductive if he wanted to do well in today’s practice.

And so he changed and grabbed another set of workout clothes to take with him to change into later. The jog took him longer than usual, having stopped to get at least a little bit to eat – namely some bread and a sausage on a stick. Once he reached the studio, he climbed up the stairs and got ready for the practice.

Half an hour in and Felix knew today’s practice was going to go even worse than yesterday’s. He simply couldn’t concentrate on any of the movements. He stepped forward with his left foot and put pressure on it while bending backwards with his upper body only to lose balance and stumble. Even though that was supposed to be an easy, routine step by now. So, he had to start over. Again. And again.

By the time he had started over for the probably 50th time that day, he just stopped and let himself fall to the ground ungracefully. He ended up looking up to the ceiling, counting the squares that it was made off of. When he reached thirty, he stopped and took a deep breath. Was it really worth it anymore? All this practice and still not being able to do any simple steps while everyone else had had those down after the first or second time trying. Maybe coming to Korea at the start of this year hadn’t been the right decision. Maybe he should have just stayed back home and gone to college in Australia while in the comfort of his own home. Having his parents and all of his friends close.

Dancing had become his dream early on. But maybe it was supposed to stay just that. A dream. Unable to be reached no matter how hard he was trying. Felix only realized he had started to cry when his breath started to come out in uneven puffs. Only then did he notice the tears silently running down the side of his face to make way towards the floor. Was all of this really worth it anymore?

He let himself cry then. Silently laying down on the floor in the middle of the practice room. With his arms across his face to shield himself from the world. The music continuing to play in the background only to flitter in and out his ears.

Felix didn’t know how long he had been laying there, crying and thinking about going back home, when he heard his phone ring with an incoming call. Drying the tears, he got up silently and walked over to pick it up.

_“Dad calling…”_ it said. How did Chris always just know when he was feeling down? After clearing his throat to not betray that he had been crying, he picked up. _“Hey, Chris. What’s up?”_

“Hey there, Felix. Where are you right now? _I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come eat out with me? Thought you might be out of anything edible by now.”_

While Chris was speaking Felix could feel a small smile form on his face. He really was glad he had a friend like Chris who just knew when he needed some company. So, he agreed but told his friend to wait a bit since he had to shower and change into new clothes.

_“Alright. Will meet you outside the dance studio then. Was on my way over anyway! See ya!”_ With that he hung up and Felix left the practice room and made his way into the provided bathroom to take a quick shower.

Outside he was greeted by a smiling Chris waving him over and hugging him as soon as he was within his reach. Felix literally sunk into his embrace and let himself be held.

_“It’s rough, huh? I’m sorry, Felix. Really am. You’ll get through it, okay?”_ Chris whispered into his hair while tightening his hold. _“Come on. Let’s get us something to eat. That’ll help a little for sure.”_

And that’s exactly what they did. Felix smiled tiredly up at Chris and told him to show the way. They ended up at a BBQ place near the studio. Not exactly comfort food but it still did the job. Felix could feel himself relax a little again after explaining everything. Chris in turn listened carefully without interrupting.

_“I just- sometimes I just wanna go home, you know? And especially these days. It’s getting too hard to go and dance. It doesn’t feel freeing anymore. More like- I feel trapped. If that makes any sense.”_

Felix knew it might sound exaggerated but that’s how he felt. Stuck. With no way of going forward.

_“Listen. It might seem like a dead-end now but believe me, you just need to work around that. And I know that sounds like I don’t take you serious here. But I know what you feel like right now. I’ve been there, mate. Still sometimes am. But I got over it. And so will you, okay? I believe you will. No. I Know you will.”_ Chris was looking at him with so much passion and warmth that Felix couldn’t help but believe him. _“It might take some time but you will do it, mate. Even if you need to take a break. You were made for dancing. You love dancing. Don’t let that be taken from you.”_

So maybe telling the older about his problems was the best decision he had made in a long time. _“Thank you. Really. I really needed to hear that. All of that. I am so glad you are here, you know? So, thanks.”_ Felix smiled earnestly. The tears forming in his eyes definitely were happy ones this time. Instead of letting them fall though, he used his shirt’s sleeve to dry them.

Chris looked happy to hear that and simply squeezed his hand which was laying on the table between them before he motioned for them to continue eating.

They parted ways right after leaving the BBQ place since the older had to make a trip back to his own studio to work on his music some more and Felix was exhausted. Against Chris’ advice to just take the subway back home though, he decided to take a walk instead to clear his thoughts and calm down mentally after another tiring day.

The air had cooled down drastically over the past few hours. Feeling an especially strong breeze, Felix huddled deeper into his jacket. Springtime really was feeling more like winter that moment. Bypassing a convenience store he decided to seek refuge in there for a little bit and buy himself something hot to drink, which would help him warm up from the inside. Inside he quickly walked over to the beverages and decided to go for a hot chocolate. While waiting for it to be made he decided to walk around the store a little more to see if he’d find anything else to buy.

Rounding the next corner though he walked straight into another person. With sharpened reflexes from the years of practicing taekwondo, Felix caught a hold of the other boy quickly to prevent him from falling over. 

_“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to- ah, I mean,_ I’m really sorry.”

The other boy either didn’t really hear Felix or just didn’t care about the incident though, seeing how he only nodded his head before quickly shuffling away, leaving a perplexed Felix standing there alone with his hands still hanging uselessly in the air. A shiver passed through his body. It didn’t feel like the shiver he got outside from the cool wind, and still it left him seeking for certain warmth that had been missing in his life. Quickly he shook off the weird feeling and instead went back to the hot chocolate that was still waiting for him to pick it up. Before leaving the store, he looked around one more time to see if he could find the boy he had walked into. But said boy was gone already leaving only him and the employee in the store.

Outside he held onto the paper cup firmly and hurried through the crowd to arrive at home as fast as he could. Once he arrived, his nose was running from the cold air slightly and he swiftly took a hot shower before getting dressed in his comfortable sleeping wear. Too tired to go through his whole skincare routine he simply put on lotion and hoped it wouldn’t mess up his skin.

Once he fell into his bed, he closed his eyes and hoped that he would be able get some good sleep without any nightmares for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Chan's birthday~~ and therefore I wanted to get this chapter out today, since he plays a major role in it (as well)!  
> (Still sad that I couldn't get anything up for Seungmin's birthday '>.<' but nothing fitting was ready then, he'll get his screen time though!)


	6. Jisung

After having been awake for hours with no sign of falling back asleep anytime soon, Jisung accepted the fact that he wouldn’t get his eight hours of sleep. Since around 2am he had been staring into the darkness of his room, curled up into himself and exhausted. But it had been no use. He simply couldn’t find any calm within himself, his thoughts jumping around and his body twitching unconsciously, as if to follow them.

With a sigh he acknowledged the situation and got up trying to be as quiet as he possibly could, so that he wouldn’t wake up Changbin next door.

But what to do on a Sunday morning – night? – at 4am, while being careful, to not make too much noise? Normally, Jisung would just try to work through this phase, but now that his work was the cause for his anxiety, that was out the window.

So, he did the next best thing: watch whatever random video YouTube had to offer him today. Really, he was killing two birds with one stone with that as well, forgetting about the awful feeling settling in his guts and gaining new knowledge.

Having decided on what to do, Jisung sat down on his rug, leaned back against his bed and wrapped himself with a blanket before reaching for his phone. The motion of sitting down on the floor was unironically grounding to him. Even if his bed always provided comfort, he needed to be somewhere else right now, so the rug beside his bed it was.

The next few hours Jisung got through many videos. Some of them providing actually interesting facts while others just showed a cute puppy befriending a small kitten. He wasn’t being picky. Anything that could hold his attention long enough worked as a distraction, and that’s exactly what Jisung needed right now.

As the first rays of sunlight made their way through his drawn curtain, Jisung was watching a video explaining how humans were made of stardust. That, to Jisung, was a very interesting concept. The video went on to explain that if people were made of stardust, that would explain why we feel more attracted to some humans than others. It was stated, that the closer the star, that you were created from, was to someone else’s, the higher the probability that you would feel attracted to them – maybe you were even created from the same star.

Even though there was no actual scientific proof for the later statements, it was still an interesting concept to at least think about, Jisung thought.

Halfway through the video he heard a knock on his door. It opened only to reveal a tired looking Changbin. “You’re awake early today. Couldn’t sleep?” He asked, worry written on his face.

Jisung paused the video at that and nodded his head. Without another word, Changbin came in and sat down next to him, crawling his way under the blanket as well.

“I don’t wanna assume, but I don’t think that’s the movie’s fault, am I right? The one from yesterday?” Changbin asked while looking at him with furrowed brows. Jisung shook his head no and let out a sigh.

“No. The movie’s fine. Just my brain deciding it would be a great time to remind me of all the work I still have to finish.”

Changbin hummed knowingly at that and leaned his head on Jisung’s shoulder, to provide at least some sort of comfort. Which was saying a lot. Normally they weren’t really touchy with each other.

They stayed like that for a few more seconds, before Jisung simply let the video play again. He changed his hold on his phone as well, so that it would be easier for both of them to watch.

After getting through three more videos, Jisung’s phone signaled that it was low on battery, so he plugged it in and checked the time. 9:15am.

“Hyung, you are awake really early today as well. Any reason?” Jisung asked, turning around again to face Changbin, who was slipping out from under the blanket to stand up.

“Ah, yeah. I’m meeting up with a friend of mine today to work on some of our music together. Wanna come with’?” he asked while looking at Jisung who was still sitting on the floor.

And Jisung thought about it. It might be helpful to see others work on music to get the right inspiration and motivation for his own projects. But then again, him being there would definitely halt their creative process, if only a little. So, he shook his head. “Nah. I’m good. Thanks for asking though.”

At that Changbin smiled softly and nodded. “Okay, offer still stands though, if you change your mind. I’ll go and try to make breakfast now. You should go take a shower in that time, okay?”

“Are you saying that I smell bad? Hyung, really! That’s not nice.” Jisung tried to sound offended, but he still ended up grinning up at his friend. Changbin didn’t reply verbally, he only raised one of his eyebrows and left the room, chuckling softly.

Getting up and searching for clothes to wear was harder than Jisung had thought. But he got through that and walked to the bathroom directly opposite his bedroom. He stripped off his clothes and turned on the water, deciding on a hot shower, in hopes of it helping to defuse of the stress his mind and body was under.

And he really felt slightly better after taking the shower and being dressed in fresh clothes again. So, he quickly brushed his teeth as well and made his way over towards their kitchen where Changbin was setting down two bowls and spoons on the table. The older boy then sheepishly got their milk out of the fridge, the cereals from the cabinet and set them on the table as well. Jisung raised an eyebrow while sitting down, not saying anything, but absolutely noticing the pan in the sink, ready to be cleaned.

“So, we might need to buy new eggs and bread. Or something. Doesn’t matter right now, though. Let’s eat!” Changbin sat down in front of him and they both began eating in silence. They took their time with breakfast that morning, both still tired from their short night.

Changbin was done first and cleaned up the table before leaving for the bathroom. Jisung finished his meal shortly after as well, only to wash up the dirty dishes and put them away to dry.

By the time he was done, it was already almost 11 o’clock. Or only 11 o’clock? Really, Jisung had no idea how he was going to spend the whole day. As inspiring as some of the videos from earlier might have been, they didn’t work in terms of his current projects. So, maybe he should go and try to find something to help with that? But what?

Just as he was contemplating what to do, he heard his phone ring from his bedroom. Crossing the living room as fast as he could without bumping into any of the furniture, he got to it just slightly after it stopped ringing.

“1 missed Call from ‘Meow Hyung’”

Why would he call him? Did he forget something at Minho’s yesterday? Not getting any answers unless he’d call back, Jisung did just that. In the time it took for the call to connect though, he started to wonder if maybe Minho had just called by mistake, and was almost about to drop the call entirely, only for it to connect and for Minho to pick it up.

“Minho-hyung? Hey, you called? Sorry, my phone was charging in the bedroom, while I was still in the kitchen cleaning the dirty dishes, so I missed it. You know how it is. Anything the matter?” Was he rambling? Did he really need to tell Minho all that without being asked for any explanation? The whole lack of sleep might really not work in his favor.

“Hi. Uh, yeah just called to ask if you’re free today?”

So, here’s the thing. The last time Jisung and Minho had hung out alone, it didn’t go too well. It had been awkward. So, Jisung didn’t expect them to try that again anytime soon. Minho, it seems, always was there for a surprise though.

“Huh? Oh! Ah, yeah. Sure. Actually was wondering about what I would do today since nobody’s free. And now you called! It’s like fate, man! Or not. Anyway, what’d you wanna do?” Jisung really should learn how to control that brain-to-mouth filter someday soon. Why was he acting all excited and nervous right now? It’s just Minho-hyung.

Talking of, Minho’s laugh could be heard through the phone. It sounded a little muffled though, like he had tried to hide the fact that he was indeed laughing at Jisung being a mess. Nice.

“How about you meet me outside your apartment in about an hour? I’ll come pick you up and we can go from there. Sound good?” As soon as he asked, Jisung looked down at the clothes he had thrown on after the shower. Sweatpants and the old t-shirt he had stolen from his dad’s closet when he had visited him two years ago. But an hour should be long enough to find something more suitable, right?

“Yep! Sounds good! See you in an hour then, Hyung.” Hanging up was the easy step. Then followed the harder one. What to wear?

“Hyung! Changbin-hyung!” he called out, rushing towards the bathroom and hammering on the door. “Hyung, open the door!”

In his hurry Jisung forgot that the door opened inwards and was still leaning against it when Changbin opened the door abruptly. Therefore, Jisung stumbled into his friend, trying to keep his balance by holding onto the doorframe, whereas Changbin had his toothbrush hanging from his mouth and was looking at Jisung with wide and worried eyes, the hand, that wasn’t holding the door open, reached out to keep him upright. “Wha’?”

“I need your help, Hyung. I don’t know what to wear,” Jisung lowly admitted while standing up straight again. His friend only looked at him with confused eyes, so he cleared his throat and went to explain the situation. “Minho-hyung called and asked if we could meet up. In an hour. And I have no clue what to wear.”

Jisung watched the toothpaste drop from Changbin’s mouth, down onto his bare chest. Maybe he had acted a little too rash there.

“Yu’ come rus’ing in here jus’ for tha’?” Changbin’s voice was slurred and it took Jisung a second to understand what he was saying, but once it got through to him, he could feel the blush forming on his face. Still, he nodded.

At his nod, Changbin seemed to relax. His shoulders dropped and his gaze, that had been locked on Jisung, followed the same path the toothpaste had taken, only to notice the drop of it on his chest. Immediately, his face screwed into a disgusted scroll and he left Jisung at the door to go over towards their sink and wash it off. Fortunately, he didn’t just take the towel which was wrapped around his waist to simply wipe it off. Jisung was stressed enough as it was.

He more so heard then saw Changbin spit out the rest of the toothpaste and wash his mouth out, since his eyes kept shifting between the phone in his hand and his bedroom. So, he startled when Changbin suddenly cleared his throat right in front of him. “Well, you gonna keep standing here the whole day or are we gonna try to find something decent in your closet?”

“Yes! Sure, sorry. I mean- you wanna put something on before we do, or...?” Jisung trailed off and simply watched Changbin push past him. He heard the door to Changbin’s bedroom open and shortly after was being pulled into his own bedroom.

Without saying anything, Changbin walked over towards his closet and opened it. He pulled out a few shirts, only to shake his head and throw them onto Jisung’s bed, next to where Jisung himself had sat down. When Changbin finally hummed in acknowledgement, Jisung wasn’t expecting his favorite hoodie to be thrown into his lap, shortly followed by some dark jeans and his new denim jacket.

“Simple is best. Also, you should feel comfortable today, Sung. Better to wear your favorite,” Changbin said, even before Jisung could question his choice. “Don’t worry too much, Minho-hyung is easy to get along with. You know that as well. You two seem fine whenever we meet up together.”

“That’s different.” Jisung mumbled but nodded his head anyway, grateful for the reassuring words.

“Now, get changed. Hyung’ll be early, so don’t let him wait too long.”

True to Changbin’s words, Minho was indeed already waiting when Jisung walked outside thirty minutes later, looking at something on his phone and therefore not noticing how Jisung made his way over to his car and opened the door, before settling into the passenger’s seat. Only for Minho to startle at his sudden arrival.

“No need to look so surprised, Hyung! You’re the one who asked me out.” Jisung didn’t register what he had just said until after he watched Minho suppress a smirk.

“Sure, I did. Just didn’t expect you to be on time.”

Jisung could feel himself flush, so he turned to put on his seatbelt while responding. “Even I can be on time, Hyung.”

“Love the jacket, by the way. That’s the one you ordered last week, right?” Minho asked once he was done and had turned around in his seat again.

“Ah, yes. Thanks! I’m actually so glad I did end up buying it, even though I wasn’t sure it would fit. But it does, so that’s nice,” he exclaimed while smiling over at Minho, who mirrored the gesture, even if Jisung was sure it was simply out of politeness.

“You can put on some music by the way, if you want to. I forgot to plug in my phone last night, so I am running a little low on battery today. So, feel free.”

Eagerly, Jisung took him up on it and connected his phone while Minho drove off the parking lot. For a few moments, he looked through his library to find something he thought Minho would like as well, only to settle for one of the somber rap songs he had heard Changbin listen to a few days ago.

“Where are we going today anyway? I mean, I thought about what to do on such short notice but didn’t come up with anything, so I do hope you have a plan, Hyung. Otherwise it might end up being really awkward again.” Immediately, Jisung realized what he just said. He inhaled sharply and looked over at Minho before continuing, “Not that it was awkward last time! That- that’s not what I meant! Just… you know? Yeah. Sorry, I am severely sleep deprived today. Might end up saying weird things all day.”

Once he finished speaking, Minho simply laughed, and at the next red light he looked over as well. “No worries. It was awkward last time. So what? We’ll manage today. Don’t worry.”

But Jisung noticed the smile on Minho’s face falter as soon as he took in Jisung’s face, which probably meant that he noticed the dark circles under his eyes despite the makeup Jisung had put on. So, it was relieving that the light turned green again before Minho had the time to say something about that. Instead, he asked Jisung to tell him about one of the animal documentaries he had been watching. “The one you told me about the other day. Remember? The one about the ocean?”

And so, Jisung took it upon himself to recall everything worthy of being mentioned.

“Like, Hyung! They can create their own light! I think it was called being bioluminescent? Well, anyway, it’s literally so freaking beautiful? And there is so much more that we don’t even know about yet. We only explored around five or seven percent? Something like that. Which is crazy, seeing how much we do know about space in comparison, right? Even though I read somewhere that ninety-nine percent of space still are undiscovered as well. Thinking about it, we really don’t know much about anything.” Jisung could feel himself relax slowly as he was talking and kept relaying his thoughts entirely unfiltered without thinking about it too much. Really, he was glad Minho had asked him to hang out.

After driving what must have been almost an hour, Minho suddenly came to a stop and parked the car. Only once they were standing still did Jisung take in their surroundings again, and he could feel his eyes widen at the sight of the grand building in front of them.

“Okay, fish boy, time to put your knowledge to the test.”

Eagerly, Jisung threw open the passenger door and hurried towards the entrance of the aquarium standing in front of him, without waiting for the older to follow. “I didn’t even know they opened on Sundays! Hyung, did you know they even have penguins here? We need to see them! Penguins are adorable.”

Minho only caught up to him at the ticket office. Once inside, everything was plunged into a deep blue hue. Every room they entered was wide and open, but due to the dimmed lights being reflected on the water creating phantom shimmers on the floor, it still felt incredibly cozy. Jisung could feel himself relax even further and moved even closer towards one of the seemingly endless glass panels. The variety, and colors of the fish swimming inside the tank was mesmerizing. Unconsciously, he raised one of his hands, trying to trace the pathways of one of the many species he had recognized. Without him even knowing, Jisung had started to ramble on and on about everything he remembered. He only realized when Minho stepped right next to him, slightly crowding into Jisung’s space without being too overbearing.

“You know? That one over there reminds me of you, Hyung.” Jisung felt Minho lightly startle, before the elder turned his head towards him with a raised eyebrow.

“I mean, it looks so free. Swimming in the water all by itself. Very unique. Pretty. And while all the others try to follow, they just aren’t fast enough to actually catch up, you know? It’s not even bothered by being different. It’s just… there. In the present. Strong. It reminds me of you, Hyung,” Jisung explained, watching the singular fish swimming around carelessly.

“Flattering to be compared to a fish, Jisungie. But I’ll take it.” Minho chuckled lowly, which startled the younger out of his concentration. He turned towards the other fully before explaining.

“That’s not- I didn’t mean it in a bad way!”

Before Jisung could continue hurriedly explaining what he had meant, Minho nudged his head with one of his hands and smiled at him gently. “To be honest, I didn’t take it in a bad way either. So, don’t worry your little head over that, okay?”

Relieved, Jisung nodded his head but stayed still afterwards, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

“Come on, let’s see if we can find those penguins you mentioned earlier,” Minho suggested and without waiting for an answer he linked their arms together and pulled Jisung into the next room.

They did indeed find the penguins. And while they should have been the most adorable thing in the whole room, Jisung wasn’t so sure about that in that very moment. Sure, they were incredibly cute with their little tailcoats and them waddling around, but Minho was wearing that one fluffy sweater which looked like it might be a size too big for him and pulled Jisung around the room excitedly. Jisung wasn’t sure if the elder tried to make him feel comfortable again or if he really was that excited to see the flightless birds. But in the end, it didn’t matter anyway, seeing how Minho kept the animated energy throughout the rest of their visit.

They must have been inside the aquarium longer than Jisung thought, because when they left, the sun already was about to set. Time flies when you have fun, it seems. Before he could thank Minho for a day spent well though, he got intercepted.

“Think you’re up for something else?” Minho asked from where he was following Jisung to his car.

“Like what? Dinner? Because lunch inside had been nice enough, even if it wasn’t much.”

At that Minho laughed. “Sure, we can get takeout and eat it there. Come, get in.” With that Minho got into the car. Jisung followed suit and soon they were on their way to get food.

They ended up deciding to go for something light.

“Pizza is not something light, Jisung.”

“But it’s full of vegetables and considered vegan. Therefore, it’s healthy food, Hyung!”

“What about the grease and cheese? Or do you take yours without?”

“…”

And even though Jisung was confused as to why they also stopped at a nearby convenience store, he didn’t question anything.

“Can you get some chips for us while I get some drinks? They should be right down that aisle.” Minho told him, already turning towards the drink section. So, Jisung did as the other told him. But as soon as he turned around the corner, he bumped into another boy, who quickly steadied Jisung before profusely apologizing. Jisung felt himself redden in embarrassment and simply hurried along after nodding to acknowledge the apology, feeling slightly disorientated. Still, he managed to grab a bag of chips before making his way back to Minho and letting the older boy pay.

He didn’t question why Minho suddenly needed two bottles of soda and one bag of chips. He would have a reason for that, maybe he ran out of them at home yesterday.

When they started going the opposite direction of where Minho’s home was though, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where exactly are we going? I thought we were going to eat dinner?”

“We are. Well, kind of. You’ll see,” was all he got from the older boy as an answer. Very reassuring indeed. Not trying to be unnecessarily worried though, Jisung simply concentrated on what music to play. Having been freed from the worries from the morning, he decided to play one of his own songs. It was one of the newer ones which he hadn’t really finished yet, but he still thought it was good enough to be played anyway.

“That one of yours? Sounds like your voice.”

Surprised that Minho was able to pick up on that while – hopefully – concentrating on driving them to who-knows-where, Jisung simply said yes.

“It’s interesting. Different from what I’ve heard from Changbin’s stuff. But it’s nice though, very you.”

Now, that threw Jisung off a little bit. Especially since he remembered writing some parts of the very same song when he was at Minho’s. He and Changbin had decided to crash there again and the older two had left to get something to eat, having left Jisung alone in the apartment with only Minho’s cats as company. That had also been the first and foremost last time, Jisung had gone into the older boy’s bedroom.

And really, it hadn’t even been his own fault that he had ended up in there. Dori simply hadn’t stopped making noise inside it after having been locked inside unintentionally by Minho, and Jisung had simply wanted to help the poor kitten out. Only to end up staying in that room a little longer than had been necessary.

So, it was interesting to have Minho say that the song Jisung partly wrote in his bedroom was very ‘Jisung’.

“How so? I mean- why do you think so?”

Minho seemed to think about that and only answered after he had taken the next exit off the highway and driven the car toward what looked like a huge field of trampled down grass. Once he had parked the car, he twisted in his seat to turn his body towards Jisung as best as he could.

“Hmm, I got a sense of yearning from it. And I don’t mean that in a bad sense. More like… devotion maybe. Warmth with underlying worry. It tries to sound cheerful and bright – which it does achieve, don’t get me wrong – just, that’s only one layer of the song. Underneath that, there is so much passion and turmoil. That’s you. It sounds like you, so it just makes sense that it’s yours.”

Jisung was left speechless. That was probably the most astonishing thing he ever had heard Minho say. He simply stared back at him, and without either of them talking they were blanketed by a heavy atmosphere.

That atmosphere was shattered when someone knocked on Minho’s window, who turned around again and showed the newcomer something on his phone, before driving in the direction that person showed him to. If he was as affected by what just happened as Jisung was, he didn’t show it. A complete contrast to the younger boy who had to work hard to regain his composure, turning away as well and looking outside and watching the first stars appear in the sky.

Breath in. Hold. Breath out. Repeat.

Why was he so agitated by what just happened? He should be proud to hear that his song was working. And he was. But there was just something else there and he couldn’t pinpoint what it was at all. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the car come to a halt again with Minho turning off the motor. Only when Minho called his name, did Jisung register where they were: a drive-in cinema.

“I hope that’s okay. They are showing an old movie today. Hope that’s okay with you? If you wanna leave though, just tell me.” Minho must be out of his mind if he really thought he would want to leave.

“Hyung, what the hell? This is amazing! I didn’t even know there was a place like this nearby.” Wide-eyed, Jisung spun his body to face Minho again, just in time to see the older boy relax.

“Alright. Let’s start eating then, before it turns even colder.”

Halfway though the pizza, The Wizard of Oz started playing. Jisung could not complain at all. He had seen parts of the movie when he had been younger and his parents had watched it, before he had had to go to bed. And from what he could remember, it had been a nice movie. So, now watching it while eating chilled pizza and sitting next to Minho in his car, it would definitely be more than nice.

Both Minho and he got into the story fast, continuously discussing scenes or retelling a story relating to whatever was happening on screen. Way too fast the movie was over, and the clock on Minho’s dashboard showed that it was already way after 11pm. It would be long after midnight once they both were back in their apartments, but it had been worth it. The whole day had been amazing, which he hadn’t expected to happen after being woken up by his anxiety.

The drive back was contrastingly silent. Neither of them was talking, only Jisung’s playlist was softly playing. Tiredness caught up to Jisung faster than normal and he almost fell asleep in the car. Still, he kept himself awake as too not become a burden for the older boy. Once they stopped in front of his apartment building, he spoke up.

“Thanks for today, Hyung. Really helped me out a lot. You don’t even know how much. Let’s do this again some time soon, okay?” he said while unbuckling the seatbelt.

“Hey, Jisung?” Minho called out just as he was done fighting the damn seatbelt, at which Jisung turned towards him one last time that day. He looked as tired as Jisung felt.

“Yeah?”

“I hope you will get through everything you’re having trouble with soon. Being happy really looks way better on you, and I am glad I got to see that today. Sleep well tonight, alright? No more sleep deprived Jisung, okay?”

Seeing and hearing Minho care so much, made Jisung smile. “Okay. Sleep well too, Hyung. Once you’re home.”

“You too, Jisungie. Sweet dreams and see you soon!” That was the last thing Jisung heard before getting out and closing the door.

The closer he got towards the apartment though, Jisung could feel the familiar dread pour back into his body. Trying to ignore it, he made his way into his bedroom and changed out of his clothes before falling backwards onto his bed and letting out a sigh.

Only one day without any of this, was that really too much to ask for? Even with how tired he had been, it still took Jisung another thirty minutes to fall asleep, hoping against hope that he would be woken up to his alarm and not by any nightmares that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Originally this chapter was supposed to be three chapters... well, changes had to be made and now it's one big chapter~ (also the reason why it took so long to edit, and rewrite parts of everything >.<)


	7. Interlude

Wide and open.

Endless and forever expanding.

Complete darkness traversed by light.

Light that is breaking apart. Fragmented light traveling into the unknown.

Trying to find itself again. That what once was one, broken into two.

Losing their orbit. The one companion they had.

Desperate to find each other and the one they had lost.

Traveling through space. Time. Everything beyond.

Without an end. Without hope.

One orb of light crying for help.

Crying of pain and loneliness.

The other, unable to help.

But understanding and falling into the dark as well.

After so long, time becoming useless.

They meet again. The two fragments of light

Light explodes, brightening the dark.

Hope blossoming again. Growing.

Two orbs that were once one.

A Reunion.

But then a sudden ripple.

Forcing them apart again.

Confused of how and where, they lose the right way.

Searching for the familiar.

Now found in the strange.

Nothing without a reason.

Everything will be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally had this one done since the very beginning but still wanted to wait until I was editing the next chapter~  
> it's definitely different stylewise but it still fits into the overall theme of this story, so I really really like it.  
> (also added a minsung tag... not sure if i should keep it in tho...)


	8. Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a panic attack, so read at your own risk...  
> Just in case: I did add an info at the start of Felix's chapters, which I should definetly do here as well. _Italics_ mean they talk in English, which is kind of an important info to have for this chapter~  
> I do hope it doesn't lead to too much confusion...

When Felix woke up and it wasn’t to Twice’s “Dance The Night Away”, which he thought he had set as his alarm sound two weeks ago, but instead to the default iPhone sound, he wasn’t too phased by it. When he noticed that he wasn’t wearing his usual pyjamas, which he was sure he had put on the night before, he was getting a little confused. But when he noticed that he most definitely was not in his own room, he started to panic slightly.

There was no light coming in through the window, and as far as he could tell after sitting up and looking around, which was gradually getting easier once his eyes had started to adjust to the low light level, the bed was only facing one wall. His bed as always been standing in a corner of his bedroom, with two sides facing a wall.

Twisting around, he was also able to make out that there was a work desk placed underneath the window to his right, and a big closet right across the bed.

Definitely not his bedroom.

That’s when questions started to flood Felix’s mind. Where was he? Why was he even here? How did he get here? Was he still dreaming?

Without the proper illumination though, he wouldn’t be able to figure anything out. That’s when Felix remembered the phone that had woken him up and reached for it. He turned off the alarm and subsequently looked at the lock-screen. It was a picture of a group of people Felix had never seen before in his life.

Trying to ignore all the scary thoughts upon that discovery, he turned on the flashlight and shined it through the room. Every doubt he might have had about this not being his room was eradicated right then and there.

After getting up from the unfamiliar bed, Felix walked over to the now visible light switch, stumbling over what he thought must have been some sort of clothes. Once the light was turned on, he took in the room again. His assumption turned out to be right, seeing how almost the whole floor was covered in either some shirts and jeans or scribbled-on paper.

As Felix made his way over towards the mess on the floor, he noticed something strange with his body: It was not his own.

At first, he had thought the slight differences within his hands and arms had been due to him not being quite awake yet. But once his gaze travelled further, he noticed that the toned stomach and legs from his work outs and dancing were gone. Furthermore, the more distinctive birthmarks that were normally visible whenever he wasn’t wearing a shirt weren’t there either.

Upon noticing that, Felix raised the hands up and tried to feel if his face also felt different. The cheeks were fuller than his own, the bridge of the nose was wider, lips thinner and eyes bigger. The hair also must have been longer than his own, as he could feel the strands of it touch the ears of whoever he currently was trapped in.

Scanning the room for a mirror but not finding any, Felix scrambled back to reach for the door next to the light switch and hastily opened it. Only to find himself face to face with another boy.

In his hurry to find anything that could show his reflection, he didn’t listen to anything the boy must have said but rather pushed his way around him. Luckily, the door right in front of him was standing open, and thus showed the bathroom lying behind it. So, Felix hastened over and looked around to find the mirror.

As soon as he saw his reflection, the panic which had been continuously rising in him came crashing down, leaving only one thought: Who is this?

That exact question seemed to be reflected in the wide eyes that were slowly filing with tears, eyes that were now confirmed not his own. Felix could literally feel the panic being replaced with terror immediately after.

Breath was coming in short puffs. Thoughts started running into each other. Everything lost focus.

He ended up stumbling and instinctively reached out for the sink to avoid toppling over. Vaguely, Felix heard a voice call out to him, but he couldn’t focus on what it was. He didn’t know what to do. His own body had never had such a heavy reaction. Chest tightening. Breathing getting even harder. Blurry vision. Pressure. Pain.

The very instant something came into contact with him, Felix involuntarily let out a noise which almost sounded like a loud “ _No!_ ” before the whole body flinched in on itself, slinking onto the tiled floor. Burying the head in between the legs and hugging everything tightly, Felix shrunk in on himself.

The next thing he knew was that his breath started to even out again, allowing the pressure to ebb away slowly. There was a gentle and deep sound coming from right in front of him, a voice whispering reassuringly. The boy from before.

With slightly rocky breath, Felix looked up and once again was faced with the same boy.

“Hey, feeling better?” He asked with a soft voice and worried eyes.

Not trusting his voice, Felix nodded. At that, the other boy let out a breath in what must have been relief.

“You-,” he started again, but Felix was struggling to fully understand what exactly he was saying, only ending up understanding individual words, such as “leave”, “water” or “back immediately”. Still, he understood the underlying question and nodded his head again in answer. While the other stood up slowly and walked out, Felix tried to concentrate on his breath and surroundings to help calm himself down.

He took a deep breath, held it and started counting the towels visible to him from his position on the floor. He let the breath go and took in the shower with its open shower curtains and bottles of either shampoo or bodywash. He kept doing this until the black-haired boy came back inside and put down a mug full of water on the floor right in front of him carefully. A gentle smile was adoring his face as he pointed to the mug. “Here, drink.”

Felix took him up on that. With shaking hands, he brought the mug up and took big gulps of the water hastily only to cough them up again.

At that the boy in front of him leaned in closer, his hand extended to try and help but not knowing how and started to speak once more. Agitated, his words slurred together even more, so Felix could only distinguish the last part, “Everything is okay.”

He slowed down upon hearing that. Once he was finished drinking, Felix put the mug down on the floor again and took a deep breath.

“ _Thanks_ ,” he said with a voice clearly lighter than his own deep one, which reminded him of the situation he was in. Felix felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.

Hearing the other boy talk again but not being able to fully comprehend what he was saying, Felix let out a sigh in frustration and closed his eyes. Shortly after, a hand tenderly touched his shoulder and Felix opened them again sluggishly. The other boy looked at him questionably and Felix couldn’t find it within himself to protest once the boy helped him up and put an arm around Felix to keep him upright.

“ _Tired. Wanna sleep.”_

“Huh? _Tired? Ah, okay, okay._ Come on.”

They made their way back into the dimly lit room and the dark-haired boy helped Felix lay down once more. Soon after, he fell back into sleep to the gently voice of the other talking to him.

“Everything will be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ  
> (I also added the info that Felix only moved at the beginning of the year into chapter 5, which should mostly explain the difficulty with understanding Changbin in this chapter and any further difficulties in the upcoming ones)  
> also: it's still minho's birthday where i am at, so happy birthday to our leeknow! (even though he isnt included in this chaper..)


End file.
